Windows 11 will start rolling out on October 5 on eligible PCs, and it looks like Microsoft will soon start using Windows Update to tell Windows 10 users if their PC is eligible for a free upgrade. Indeed, Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Ring have started noticing a notification in Windows Update telling them if their PC can run Windows 11 (via Windows Latest).
“Great news — your PC meets the minimum system requirements for Windows 11. Specific timing for when it will be offered can vary as we get it ready for you,” the message says. We have yet to see this notification appear on our own Insider machines, but Microsoft could well be doing some A/B testing with Insiders in the Release Preview ring currently testing Windows 10 version 21H2.
Windows 11 will appear as an optional update in Windows Update when it’s ready to be installed on Windows 10 PCs, and Microsoft said today that it expects “all eligible devices to be offered the free upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.” If Windows Update may soon be able to tell all Windows 10 users if their PC will be eligible for a free Windows 11 upgrade, Microsoft will keep supporting Windows 10 until 2015 for everyone else.
If you have a PC in the Release Preview ring, let us know in the comments if you also noticed these Windows 11 notifications in Windows Update. In addition to these Windows Update changes, Microsoft is also getting ready to re-release its PC Health Check app that can provide users more details about upgrade blocks, and an updated version of the app is already available to download for Windows Insiders.
